Pictured (left) Geetha Bhat, MD, Medical Director of The Christ Hospital Heart Transplant Program, (back center) Rob Dowling, MD, The Chris and Trey Heekin Family Endowed Chair for Cardiac Transplantation and Surgical Director of The Christ Hospital Heart Transplant Program, (front center) Terri Cecere, the first heart transplant patient at The Christ Hospital Health Network, (right) Terri’s husband, George Cecere.

The Christ Hospital Health Network Performs Its First Heart Transplant

Surgery is First of Many Planned for the Heart Transplant Program

CINCINNATI (November 30, 2022) – Sunday, November 6 marked a historic milestone as The Christ Hospital Health Network performed its first heart transplant surgery. Rob Dowling, MD, Surgical Director of The Christ Hospital Heart Transplant Program and, the multidisciplinary transplant team, successfully performed the surgery.

“The Christ Hospital Heart Transplant Program team is proud to announce that we have completed the first heart transplant surgery in the history of our network,” said Debbie Hayes, President and CEO of The Christ Hospital Health Network. “Our talented cardiovascular team has once again demonstrated their expertise in the provision of exceptional treatment for heart failure patients right here in the Greater Cincinnati region. Our commitment to providing the full breath of cardiovascular services to this community is unwavering and is a testament to the exceptionally talented physicians, clinicians and support staff that make up our team. Our goal is to ensure that no patient in this region needs to think about travelling anywhere but within their own community to receive the very finest comprehensive cardiovascular care.”

The Christ Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute’s latest program expansion comes after the successful recruitment of two highly renowned heart transplant specialists with more than 50 years of combined experience: Rob Dowling, MD, The Chris and Trey Heekin Family Endowed Chair for Cardiac Transplantation and Surgical Director of The Christ Hospital Heart Transplant Program & Geetha Bhat, MD, Medical Director of The Christ Hospital Heart Transplant Program.

“We are thrilled to have successfully completed our first heart transplant surgery with excellent results,” said Dean Kereiakes, MD, FACC, MSCAI, President of The Heart & Vascular Institute. “This accomplishment was greatly facilitated by support from the Harold C. Schott Foundation Artificial Heart and Mechanical Cardiac Support Program as well as the Chris and Trey Heekin Family Foundation. Both have provided resources to ensure that The Christ Hospital Health Network is a regional destination center for leading edge heart care, at every stage of heart disease.”

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States. Of that, an estimated 6.5 million Americans live with heart failure and an additional 1 million are diagnosed with heart failure every year. Annually, about 8,000 Americans need a new heart to survive, but with the limited supply of donor hearts, only an estimated 3,500 transplants are performed. At least half of all patients remaining on a transplant list die within several years of diagnosis.

In collaboration with the heart transplant program, the Harold C. Schott Foundation Artificial Heart and Mechanical Cardiac Support Program has been established for supporting research and development of artificial hearts and other mechanical cardiac support devices. This program enables The Christ Hospital to offer therapeutic options not available anywhere else and will place The Christ Hospital and The Carl and Edyth Lindner Research Center at the national forefront for heart replacement therapies.

If you or someone you love has questions about heart failure or wants to schedule a consultation with The Christ Hospital Heart Transplant Center, call 513-585-2493 or click here to visit our heart transplant website.

About The Christ Hospital Health Network

The Christ Hospital Health Network is an acute care hospital located in Mt. Auburn with a remote hospital location in Liberty Township, five ambulatory outpatient centers and dozens of offices conveniently located throughout the region. More than 1,300 talented physicians and more than 6,000 dedicated team members support the Network. Its mission is to improve the health of the community and to create patient value by providing exceptional outcomes and the finest experiences, all in an affordable way. The Network has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the #1 hospital in the Cincinnati Region and awarded Healthgrades “America’s 50 Best Hospitals” for being in the top 1% in the nation for providing the highest clinical quality year over year. It is also a Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award recipient, which recognizes top-performing healthcare organizations that achieve the 95th percentile or above of performance in patient experience. The Christ Hospital is among a select number of hospitals in the nation to be awarded Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. For more than 130 years, The Christ Hospital has provided compassionate care to those it serves.